This invention relates to telephone answering systems, and more particularly, to a telephone answering system that automatically calls back a caller at a telephone number specified by the caller in conjunction with a message left by the caller.
Typical telephone answering systems in the prior art do not automatically call back a caller at a telephone number that the caller has specified in conjunction with a message left by the caller. However, such a telephone answering system would be greatly convenient to both the caller and the message recipient.
Prior art caller ID may store the telephone numbers of previous callers, and may give the user an option to automatically call back one of the stored telephone numbers of a previous caller. However, the caller ID number is determined automatically by the telephone central office. This feature is disadvantageous because the caller ID number determined by the telephone central office is only the billing telephone number.
Thus, where a caller is calling from a large organization having a main number with numerous extensions, the telephone central office may only determine the main number without the specific extension of the caller. For example, many large companies have an easy to remember main number with the last four digits ending in a thousand, such as (321) 456-1000. Then each person working within such a large company has a more specific extension as the last four digits of the phone number, such as (321) 456-7891. However, the caller ID feature may only store the number (321) 456-1000 because most of the PBX (Private Branch Exchange) trunks typically use this main number as the billing telephone number. Automatically dialing back this main number may create confusion for the message recipient who later attempts to connect with the caller.
An even more disadvantageous feature of automatically dialing back the caller ID number is that only the billing telephone number which is typically the number the caller has called from is stored. Thus, if the caller wants to be reached at a different telephone number from that called from, then the different telephone number cannot be automatically dialed. Such a situation can easily arise with mobile callers such as businessmen and salesmen who are calling from xe2x80x9con the roadxe2x80x9d such as from airports. In addition, although a caller may be calling from his or her work number, the caller may desire to be called back later at home.
Thus, a telephone answering system is desired where the phone number as specified by a caller can be automatically dialed back, in conjunction with a message left by the caller.
Accordingly, as a primary object of the present invention, a telephone answering system automatically dials back a phone number that a caller has specified in conjunction with a message left by the caller.
In a general aspect of the present invention, a telephone answering system includes an instruction synthesizer for instructing the caller to enter a phone number where the caller wishes to be reached by a message recipient. A memory stores this specified phone number along with a corresponding message that the caller leaves for the message recipient. A control circuit terminates the connection of the telephone answering system to the message recipient""s telephone line. A control interface controls one of a PBX (Private Branch Exchange) of the message recipient or a CENTREX within the telephone central office to connect the message recipient""s telephone line to the caller by automatically dialing the specified phone number.
The present invention can be used to particular advantage when the caller is given an option of leaving a specified number. The caller may choose not to leave a number. In the case the caller chooses to leave a number, the caller can enter in the specified number using either a DTMF (Dual Tone Multi-Frequency) keypad or by voice. If the caller leaves the specified number by voice, the present invention further comprises a voice-recognition unit that converts the spoken phone number into a digital data format for storage into memory. If the caller enters DTMF (Dual Tone Multi-Frequency) tones, the present invention further comprises a DTMF recognition unit that converts the DTMF tones into a digital data format.
In another aspect of the present invention, the message recipient is given an option of having the specified number of the caller automatically dialed. The message recipient may choose not to have the specified number of the caller automatically dialed or may choose to dial a different number.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by considering the following detailed description of the invention which is presented with the attached drawings.